Apartment Fire at 14 Ashby

Alexandria Fire and EMS units responded to an apartment fire, Saturday, November 8, 2008 at approximately 6:43 a.m. The apartment building is located at 14 Ashby Street.

Firefighters reported fire coming from a front window on the first floor, upon arrival. Heavy smoke conditions were encountered when the front door to the two-story apartment building was forced open. A second alarm was requested based on time of day and due to the building not being evacuated prior to fire department arrival. The fire originated in the living room area and was quickly extinguished. The residents of the three other units were not at home at the time of the fire. Three other units in the building sustained smoke damage. No working smoke alarms were present in the affected unit.

There were no injuries reported. The resident of the unit declined assistance from the Red Cross and will be staying with family members. Damage is estimated at $12,000.00 to the affected unit and 100,000.00 to the building. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.